Angel in Disguise
by LockBox22
Summary: When a little girl is found outside a village attacked by the Wraith, Sheppard feels compelled to take her back to Atlantis. Season 3. Repost.
1. Chapter 1

**Stargate Atlantis: Angel in Disguise**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. I only own my original storyline, plot and any original characters. **

o0o

The dark grey sky of P3M-754 was threatening rain; which was appropriate for the tragedy that had taken place there only a few hours ago. Another Wraith attack had left the village utterly decimated. There was not a single building still standing on a firm foundation.

Lt. Colonel John Sheppard stood in the middle of the destruction; a building that had once been the town hall. John looked around at the other members of the team as they stood in various parts of what had once been a village.

"There's nothing left here!" McKay said in utter disbelief. "Usually the Wraith leave the buildings and just take the people, but look at this place!" He touched the corner of the building only to have it crumble under his light touch.

Teyla stood from where she'd been hunting through the rubble. "The Wraith are definitely getting more aggressive since their awaking." She said.

Sheppard's lips tightened. Teyla noticed his pained expression and realized what she had said. "I am sorry, John. I didn't mean..." She apologized.

Sheppard waved a hand. "It's alright." He turned to survey the carnage before him. He saw Teyla hesitate and immediately regretted his flippancy. Teyla didn't need to be careful around him; she was right. If the blame fell on anyone, it was him. It was his fault; no one else's.

Sheppard stopped by Ronon, who had stopped searching the wreckage and was now intently watching the surrounding area.

"What is it?" Sheppard asked looking at the same spot Ronon was; the low clump of bushes a few meters to their right. His muscles tightened, sensing danger.

"There's something in those bushes." Ronon said in a low tone.

Sheppard looked towards the bushes. Nothing moved; not even a bird chirped. It was so quiet, that he practically jumped when Ronon spoke again.

"There! You see that?" The Sateden asked excitedly as he pointed towards the bushes; his other hand clasping the butt of his gun.

"What?" Sheppard asked, his finger reflexively tightening on his P90's trigger. He scanned the trees; nothing moved. He relaxed. "There's nothing there, Ronon. Stop jumping at shadows, big guy."

"I'm not jumping at shadows. There's something out there, Sheppard." With that prediction, Ronon turned away, leaving Sheppard to frown at his back.

Sheppard turned to follow, and then froze when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. They were being watched; he was sure of it now.

He turned to the rest of the team, casually as not to arouse suspicion. If they were being watched, he wanted to get the jump on this guy, or guys. "Let's pack it up." Sheppard said forcing his tone to stay normal. "There's nothing we can do here."

"I agree." McKay said. He looked around and shuddered. "This place gives me the creeps anyways."

"What place doesn't, Rodney?" Sheppard shot back, but his heart wasn't in it. Something very funny was going on here. The hair on the back of his neck refused to settle down. They were almost to the 'gate when McKay groaned.

"I have something in my boot." He said.

Sheppard stopped a few feet away as McKay bent down to untie his bootlaces. "Again?"

"Hey! It's not my fault if we keep walking on gravel." Rodney griped to the dirt as he undid his laces.

"Well it's not mine if you keep walking into piles of the stuff either." Sheppard muttered to Teyla. She hid a grin. Rodney did have a tendency to walk into mud and other substances that ended up in his boots.

Rodney glanced into the bushes on the side of the pathway and screamed. He stumbled away from the bushes as Sheppard and Ronon ran towards them, guns extended in front of them; ready to face the threat.

Sheppard was the first to see what had made McKay scream. He relaxed and lowering his gun, motioned Ronon to do the same. "For Pete's sake, McKay; it's only a kid."

A small girl sat in the bushes. Her brown hair was cut short and she looked up at Sheppard with bright, bold, blue eyes. He had never seen such blue eyes before. She couldn't have been more then six or seven. She started to edge away from them, obviously scared by McKay.

"Hey there." Sheppard said squatting so that he was on her level. "It's ok. We're not going to hurt you."

"She must have been from the village." Teyla said softly. "Her family must have been among those who were culled."

"So she's an orphan." Rodney said recovering from his shock rather well. "All alone; no family."

"We get the picture, McKay." Sheppard said glaring over his shoulder at Rodney. The sound of brush crackling drew his attention back to girl. She had moved further back into the bushes.

"Hey, come on out here." Sheppard motioned. "We're not going to hurt you."

Rodney stepped forward.

"Come on out." Sheppard coxed again.

The girl moved further back, looking at something beyond Sheppard. He turned to see Rodney behind him. "You're scaring her, Rodney." He said glaring up at the scientist. "Move back some."

"But…!" Rodney started to protest.

"Come on." Ronon grabbed McKay by his vest. "It was probably the sound of you screaming like a girl that scared her."

"I do not scream like a girl!" Rodney said indignantly as he was dragged away.

"Maybe you should do this." Sheppard said looking up at Teyla. "I'm not too good with kids."

She smiled. "Maybe you are better then you think." She tilted her head towards the girl.

Sheppard turned back. Since Rodney had left, she had scooted towards him. Not much, but enough to show she was starting to trust him.

Wordlessly, Sheppard held out his hand towards her. _Trust me._ He projected with his eyes.

The girl hesitated and then reached towards him. She stopped a few inches away from touching Sheppard, her little hand hovering in mid-air.

Sheppard looked encouragingly at her. Slowly, she reached towards him and grabbed his hand. Smiling with success, Sheppard helped her out of the bushes. Now he could see her more clearly. She wore a white, or what had been white, tunic and brown leggings. Small boots were wrapped around her feet.

She looked up at Teyla and inched closer to Sheppard, touching her shoulder to his thigh. He put a comforting hand on her small shoulder. Teyla smiled at the girl.

"What do you intend to do with her now that you have gotten her to trust you?" She asked looking back at Sheppard.

Sheppard looked down at the girl, nestled at his left side. She looked back up at him with those blue eyes.

"I'm going to take her back to Atlantis." Sheppard found himself saying.

o0o

Dr. Carson Beckett hurried towards the gate room. He had gotten a page from Dr. Weir asking him to the gate room. He was assuming that one of Sheppard's team was injured again; and since it hadn't been an urgent page, he had guessed that it was Rodney.

_Maybe this time he'll have learned his lesson about staying away from mud puddles. _Carson thought with a smile.

Only earlier that month, Rodney had been walking past what he thought was a shallow puddle. He hadn't known that the planet they had been visiting was famous for its deep mud pits. Rodney had tripped over the root, banging his head on the ground and getting covered with mud in the process.

Carson had treated him for a mild concussion and given him a friendly warning to stay away from strange mud puddles from now on. Rodney had answered him with a stiff glare.

But once Carson entered the gate room, he didn't hear Rodney moaning about some new aliment that had afflicted him, quite the opposite actually. In addition to the usual noise of the gate room, Carson heard the two raised voices of Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard.

He looked towards Weir's office and saw both of them engaged in a heated discussion. Looking back towards the gate room, he located Rodney and headed for him.

"Alright. What did you do now?" Carson asked once he was within speaking distance as he assessed the scientist in front of him. No blood and no obvious cuts. That was a good sign.

Rodney turned to look at him. "Why do you always think it's me?" He said.

"Because, Rodney; you are usually the one who gets injured." Carson shot back.

"Well this time it's not me." Rodney said. "Although, I do have a nasty blister on my foot and it's killing….."

"Rodney!" Carson interrupted. "If it's not you, then who is it? I know it's not Colonel Sheppard because Elizabeth would have sent him down to the Infirmary already; and I know it's definitely not Teyla or Ronon."

"You'd be right there." Rodney said rolling his eyes. Teyla and Ronon were famous for escaping with mere scratches while Rodney and Sheppard ended up in the Infirmary more then any other member currently assigned to the Atlantis base.

"Then who is it?" Carson asked sharply, starting to lose his patience with this guessing game. "I have real patients to get back too and if you can't….."

"Don't get in a state, Carson." Rodney interrupted. "She's over there." He turned towards the corner of the gate room. "Teyla's been trying to coax her out of the corner."

Carson looked towards Teyla and the young child huddled in the corner. He drew in a breath.

"We found her outside a village that had been culled. She's mess." Rodney continued. "Sheppard is the only one who's been able to convince her to do anything."

"Aye." Carson breathed looking the child over. He glared at Rodney. "I'd suppose you'd be in a state too if your parents had just been culled by the Wraith." With that parting remark, Carson left.

He walked towards Teyla.

"Please, come out." Teyla was saying to the child.

"Here, let me, love." Carson said placing a hand on Teyla's shoulder.

The Athosian turned to him in frustration. "She will not respond to me in any way." Teyla looked back at the child. "It is like she has folded in on herself; shutting out the entire world."

"It's called shock." Carson said. "She'll be alright with some food, water and love." He smiled at Teyla, who returned the gesture.

Carson bent down so that he was on the girl's level. "Hey there," He greeted her softly. "My name's Carson. What's yours?"

The girl didn't answer him; she just hugged her knees closer to her chest.

"That's ok." Carson said. "You don't have to tell me your name if you don't want too. You've picked a nice spot to sit. Do you mind if I join you?"

The girl didn't answer. Carson took that as a yes and lowered himself to the floor so that he was sitting beside the young child. He nodded up at Teyla. "It's alright, Teyla. You can leave us now."

Teyla hesitated and then nodded. "I will tell Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Weir where you are." She turned and left the two of them on the floor.

Carson sat in silence. The girl beside him stayed curled up, knees drawn to her chest. He ignored her. He wanted her to become comfortable with his presence, even if it took all day. He needed her to be comfortable when he examined her.

Minutes went by and slowly, she uncurled her legs. Carson continued to ignore her. Slowly, inch by inch, she crept closer to him until she was almost touching his jacket.

Cautiously, she reached out and touched his jacket sleeve. Carson looked down at the touch and into her blue eyes. He was shocked at how blue they were. Not even his mother's were that blue and she had the bluest eyes he had ever seen, until now.

Carson smiled gently. "I'm not that bad, am I?" He asked.

The child didn't speak; just looked back at him with those deep eyes. Then she scooted closer and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Carson didn't move, letting her rest. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

Carson looked up as the sound of boot come towards them. The child raised her head from his shoulder as Sheppard and Weir's feet come into view. She scrambled up at the sight of Weir and hid behind Sheppard, small hand clinging to his leg.

"Hey." Sheppard said. "You don't have to hide." The child peeked out at Dr. Weir and then ducked back behind Sheppard's leg.

Sheppard looked up at Weir and gave his lopsided grin. "I guess she's just a little shy right now."

"I can see that, Colonel." Weir said noticing the way she clung tightly to Sheppard's pant leg.

"Teyla told me what happened." Weir said turning to Carson who was just getting to his feet. "How is she, Carson?"

"I won't know until I thoroughly examined her." Carson said brushing off the back of his pants. "But she seems to be alright, aside from a little bit of shock and some trust issues."

"No kidding." Sheppard said wincing slightly as the child's grip on his leg tightened when a technician come towards them.

"Dr. Weir? You're wanted in the control tower." He said glancing down to the child behind Sheppard.

"I'll be right there." Weir said. The man nodded and moved away. Weir turned back to Beckett and Sheppard. "Carson, how soon can you check her out?"

"Right now." Beckett said. "I don't have anything scheduled for this afternoon. It shouldn't take long." He smiled down at the girl.

Weir turned to Sheppard. "Alright; as long as Carson gives her a clean bill of health, she can stay here until we find someone to take her in."

Sheppard smiled. "I knew you'd understand, Elizabeth."

"Uh, huh." Weir was not impressed. "Just remember, Colonel that she'll be your sole responsibility. I don't have time to look after a child."

"Dr. Weir?" The technician called from the balcony of the control tower.

"Coming!" Weir called back as she hurried towards the stairs.

Sheppard looked at Beckett and shrugged. "It's only for a few days; what could go wrong?" He said glancing down at the girl. She looked up at him trustingly with those deep, blue eyes.

o0o

After Carson looked their young guest over and declared her to be healthy, Sheppard took her to the mess for supper. He didn't know about the child, but his stomach was reminding him that he hadn't eaten in a while.

The child walked close beside him, shying away when anyone passed them in the hall. Sheppard sighed. And they weren't even quarter of the way there yet. They would have to do something about that.

"Colonel!"

Sheppard turned around to see Major Lorne walked quickly towards them. "Mind if I walk with you, sir?" His 2IC asked. Lorne was off-duty by the look of it. His grey sweatshirt and pants looked wrinkled and sweaty.

"Not at all, Major." Sheppard nodded to the basketball in Lorne's hands, pretty sure he knew what 2IC had been up too. "Playing a friendly game with our Marines?"

Lorne gave a grin. "We'll beat them yet, Colonel."

There was an ongoing challenge between the Marines and the Air-Force personal about who could win the most basketball games. Sheppard wasn't to sure who had started it, but from the remarks the Marines were making, it sounded like they had been the instigators. Sheppard had overheard a marine bragging to his team mates that fly boys belonged in the air, not on the ground.

Sheppard assumed that the remark had somehow made it back to the Air-Force boys and now they were determined to kick some Marine ass. Hence the games that went on almost every week.

"I heard about the girl." Lorne said changing the subject. "Is this her?" He asked looking down at the child beside Sheppard.

A small smile crossed Sheppard's lips. Either Lorne was taking his job seriously or he just didn't want Sheppard to ask how the game had gone.

"Yup." Sheppard said aloud. "This is her."

For once, the girl wasn't hiding behind Sheppard. She stood quietly beside him, looking up at Lorne with curiosity.

"Hey there." Lorne bent down, holding the ball against his hip. "I'm Evan. What's your name?"

"She doesn't talk, Lorne." Sheppard reminded his 2IC.

"I know." Lorne said as she touched his sweatshirt hesitantly, trying to figure out what it was. A frown appeared on her small face. "I thought it was worth a try." Lorne continued. "Do we know how she came to be an orphan?"

Sheppard shrugged. "Teyla thinks she might have escaped from the Wraith. We think the rest of her family was culled."

The child drew her hand back as Lorne stood.

"Care to join us for some supper?" Sheppard offered.

Lorne shook his head. "No thanks, Colonel. I think I'm going to hit the showers. Thanks for the offer."

"Anytime." Sheppard said resuming his walk with his young charge.

Lorne turned towards the living quarters. Man! How good a shower sounded right now! Then he was going to get something to eat. His stomach was starting to gnaw at his insides.

"Major!"

Lorne turned to see Lt. Fachetti run up to him. The solider stopped beside his CO. "How's the arm, sir?"

During their game, one of the Marine's had bashed Lorne's arm against the wall. He had said he was sorry, but didn't look too disappointed to see the bruise forming on Lorne's forearm.

"It's ok." Lorne said. "Itching like hell." He rolled up his shirt sleeve to check on the bruise. Dr. Beckett had said nothing when Lorne had shown him, but the sigh the doctor had let out had been enough. It was a pretty big bruise.

Lorne stared in confusion at his forearm. The bruise that had been there, right under his elbow, was now completely healed without a trace left behind.

"Wow." Fachetti said. "I guess Doctor Beckett really can do miracles." He slapped Lorne on the shoulder and then went off in search of the Marine who had bashed his C.O's arm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"No." Beckett said firmly, turning around to grab something from the medical supply rack.

"Why not?" Sheppard asked following Beckett. It was two days later and Sheppard was already facing his first challenge as 'dad; 'as Rodney had taken to calling him.

His team was up for an off-world mission and since he couldn't take the girl with him, Sheppard needed a babysitter. The problem was that she had been stuck like glue to him, and only him, for the past three days.

She didn't feel comfortable with anyone else. Sheppard had tried, but she didn't take to anyone. Except Beckett. So naturally, the Scottish doctor had been Sheppard's first choice. The child was close beside Sheppard, glancing around at all the people and strange equipment.

"Because! I have patients, and jobs to do!" Beckett said handing off his clipboard to a nurse. "We had seven personnel in here this morning alone!"

Sheppard looked around at the quiet Infirmary. "Look's like you handled it well." He commented drily.

"This isn't a joke, Colonel." Beckett said in annoyance. "What if we had a medical emergency?"

"Then you stick her in a corner and deal with it just like you have in the past." Sheppard replied. "Come on, Doc! You're the only one beside me that she likes. I can't exactly ask Rodney to do it."

Sheppard could see Beckett's resistance starting to crumble at that. "You have a point there, Colonel." He agreed reluctantly.

"Then you'll do it?" Sheppard asked. "It's only for a few hours; then we'll be back." He watched as the doctor looked down at the girl who looked back up at him.

"Alright." Beckett sighed.

"Great. Thanks, Doc." Sheppard said with a triumphant smile.

Turning to the girl, Sheppard bent down until he was eye level with her. "I have to go away for a while." He told her. "But you can stay with Beckett until I get back, alright?"

She didn't say anything, just looked back into his brown eyes.

Sheppard sighed and got up. "See you later, Doc." He said as he walked out of the Infirmary.

o0o

At first the girl was content just to watch Carson work. For the next several hours, she was at his side constantly. She watched everything he did carefully. A couple of times, Carson found himself tripping over her, but he didn't mind too much.

Finally, the girl got bored and started to goof off. After Carson had to tell her not to touch quite a few times, he decided she was better off doing something else. Grabbing his note book and a pen, he gave them to the child and sat her down in a corner.

Instinctively, she started drawing on the page. Heaving a sigh of relief, Carson gave a stern warning to one of his nurses to watch her closely and then went off to finish his rounds.

When he came back in hour later, he was surprised to see the child sitting on one of the Infirmary beds, drawing with one of the scientists that had come down a bad case of the flu.

"Well its looks like you too are getting along." He said cheerfully walking up to them.

Dr. Miko Kusanagi looked up at him with a smile. "I don't know why everyone is saying she's shy. She's actually quite bold." The child finished her drawing and handed the pen to the Doctor.

Kusanagi took it and finished her drawing of a rose. Carson lifted his eyebrows in amazement. Miko was quite the artist. He also noticed the tired look on the doctor's face.

"Come on, love." He said to the girl. "Let's go for a walk. Marie!" He called to the nurse. "Can you make sure the doctor is comfortable?"

"Yes, doctor." Marie said coming over.

Carson took the girl's hand and helped her off the bed.

"Thanks for drawing with me." Kusanagi said with a smile at the child.

The girl looked back at her, but didn't smile back. "Come on." Carson said gently and together they walked out of the Infirmary.

Marie took the notepad off the doctor's bed and raised her eyebrow. "Did you do this?" She asked pointing to the very well done portrait of Dr. Beckett.

Kusanagi looked at the drawing and shook her head. "No. I've never seen that before. We were doing flowers the entire time." She shrugged. "Maybe someone else did it."

Marie nodded as she set aside the book. But after as she putting the book back on Dr. Beckett's desk, she looked at the portrait again. _No._ She thought to herself. _There's no way the girl did this. _

But the entire time she had been watching the child, no one else had used the notebook.

o0o

Carson smiled as he watched the girl walk ahead of him. She was definitely getting bolder.

Carson's smiled faded as he wondered how everyone was doing back home; what where they doing back home. Where they wondering the exact same thing about him?

Carson was brought back into the present by a tug on his jacket sleeve. He had stopped walking and now the girl was tugging at his jacket, trying to get him to move again. They had already reached the science wing.

Carson looked down into her concerned blue eyes. _We can't keep calling you the girl._ He thought. "You need a name." He said aloud.

She looked up at him expectedly and then pointed to an open doorway.

"You're right." Carson said with a smile. "Let's finish our walk first."

They started walking again, and then Carson stopped as a thought hit him. "Cailean." He said. "That's it!" He bent down until he was on eye level with the child. "Cailean." He said touching her shoulder. "That'll be your name."

She gazed into his eyes and then spoke for the very first time. "Cailean." She repeated slowly, saying it perfectly, matching Carson's Scottish lilt. Then she touched his chest. "Carson." She told him.

"Right!" Carson said excitedly. "That's my name." He smiled.

Suddenly, she smiled back. It was like the sun breaking through the clouds on a cloudy day. Then she skipped away from him, unaware of what she had just done.

Carson stood and watched her skip. He smiled again. She looked happy. For the first time in three days, she was finally smiling. His smiled turned to concern as he realized what door she was about to enter; whose lab she was about to walk into.

He ran and grabbed her by the arm, but it was already too late. Dr. Rodney McKay had already heard them.

Rodney started to look up from his computer. "Radek, if that's you…." He broke off when he saw them. "Oh. Carson. What brings you down here?"

"Cailean and I are going for a walk." Carson said looking down at the girl at his side. He smiled encouragingly and she smiled back. Carson breathed a silent sigh of relief. Good, she wasn't going to run and hide from Rodney.

"Kay-lin?" Rodney repeated slowly, trying to say it like Carson and failing badly.

Carson nodded. "It's Gaelic for 'the child.'"

Rodney snorted and turned away.

"What?" Carson asked defensively. "She deserves to be called something better then the girl all the time."

"I know that." Rodney said turning back to Carson. "But couldn't you come up with something more original? Besides she's only staying a few days; don't get too attached." He turned back to his work.

"What does that mean?" Carson asked.

Rodney turned back with a sigh. "It means that she's not going to be here long, so there's no use pretending that we like her. What do you mean, what do I mean?" He asked starting to get flustered.

"I think you're just jealous because she doesn't like you." Carson said.

"What? No!" Rodney protested. "Why would I be jealous? Besides, the only people she likes are you and Sheppard; that alone says something. Don't touch that!" Rodney snapped at Cailean.

During his and Carson's conversation, she had been slowly edging closing to the work bench and the Ancient device sitting on it. At Rodney's sharp tone, Cailean shrank back from the work bench and grabbed the edge of Carson's jacket in her hand.

"Look what you've done now, Rodney; you've scared her." Carson said as he placed a hand on her shoulder and hugged Cailean to his side.

"She should be scared." Rodney replied not sounding the least bit sorry. "We have no idea what that device does. For all we know, she could have blown us all up."

Carson huffed at that, but didn't argue with him further. They had found out that Cailean hated the sound of raised voices. Carson didn't blame her. Some days it just about drove him batty listening to the amount of arguing that went on during the course of a day.

"Have you figured out what the device does do?" Carson asked.

"Almost." Rodney said tapping on his keyboard and squinting at the screen.

Carson watched him for a moment. "You don't have a clue what it does." He stated.

"Yes; of course I do." Rodney shot back getting annoyed. "Ok, no. But I'm not about to go around pressing buttons like Sheppard."

"Have you tried thinking 'on'?" Carson asked.

Rodney glared at him. "Of course I have. It must be broken of something, because it's not responding to me."

"Maybe if you tried pushing a button." Carson suggested.

"What? And blow up the entire city?" Rodney scoffed. "There's three different buttons!"

"Blue." A small voice said from beside Rodney.

They both turned to see Cailean pointing at the device. During their argument, she had moved back to the workbench. Her small finger poised over the blue button. She looked up at them. "The blue one." She insisted.

"Cailean. Don't touch." Carson warned.

Rodney started to get nervous. It wasn't everyday that your life was in the hands of a five year old kid.

"Blue." She insisted emphatically again and then pressed the blue button.

"No!" Rodney yelled.

There was a flash of yellow light, blinding them for a moment and then, silence.

Rodney opened his eyes and saw that the object had projected a stream of light towards the ceiling. He looked up and gasped. Displayed on the ceiling was a still image of the most beautiful waterfall he had ever seen. He heard Carson give a sound of appreciation from beside him.

The image flickered and then changed to an image of Atlantis, submerged under a hundred or more feet of water.

"Amazing." Rodney murmured.

"I'll say." Carson breathed still looking at the ceiling. They both looked down at each other.

"Pretty." Cailean said and they both looked over at her. She smiled at them and then pressed the red button. The image faded and then disappeared into the little device.

"How'd...?" Rodney muttered.

"I don't know." Carson replied in a low tone watching Cailean as she continued to play with the device. "She must have the Ancient gene."

Cailean held the device towards them and pressed the yellow button. A bright flash made Rodney and Carson blink.

o0o

"How did this happen, Carson?" Weir asked as she walked with Beckett towards the Infirmary. "I thought you'd examined her thoroughly."

"I did." Carson said hurrying to catch up with her. "I just didn't think to test for the Ancient gene. It's not something I usually look for in a child." He admitted. "Even if I did test for it, they wouldn't be able to know what to do with it."

Weir conceded that he had a point there. Children were too curious to be left alone in the city that everything was activated by touch and thought. "What do you suggest we do now?" She asked stopped before the doors to the Infirmary.

"She can't be left alone at all." Carson said firmly. "We need someone that she's comfortable with to keep an eye on her, and it can't be me." His tone became soft. "As much as I love the little sweetheart, I have a job to do."

"Who's watching her now?" Weir asked as they stepped into the Infirmary.

"Marie, one of my nurse's;and a Marine." Carson told her.

Weir stopped at that and turned to stare at Carson.

He held up his hands. "It wasn't my idea. Major Lorne insisted once he heard she had the Ancient gene. News travels fast around here." He said sheepishly.

Weir smiled. "Keeping the grapevine busy are we, Carson?"

"No, I believe that would be Rodney's department." Carson replied evenly. "Frankly, I think he's just a wee bit jealous over that fact that our little friend has the gene naturally." He smiled.

"Doctor Beckett!"

They both turned as a nurse ran up to them.

"Marie, what's the matter?" Carson asked in concern. "Is Cailean alright?"

"Cailean?" Weir asked. But she was ignored when Marie shook her head. "She's missing, Doctor! I just turned my back for a moment!" The young woman sounded close to tears.

"Don't worry, love." Carson soothed though his face was full of concern. "She couldn't have gotten far."

Weir's earpiece crackled. _"Dr. Weir?"_

Weir touched her ear and spoke. "This is Weir. Go ahead."

"_Colonel Sheppard's team is requesting clearance to return to Atlantis."_

Weir looked up at Carson with a worried expression on her face. "Let them in." She replied. "I'm on my way." She turned to Carson. "Carson, I suggest you get some of the Marines to start searching the base for….." She paused trying to find the name.

"Cailean." Carson supplied. "I thought she needed a name." His tone was sheepish again.

Weir nodded in understanding. "For Kay-lin. I'll deal with Colonel Sheppard."

o0o

The 'gate closed behind Sheppard and his team with a watery snap.

Weir was waiting for them in front of the stairs. "How'd it go?" She asked.

"Wet." Sheppard said he ran a hand through his hair, shaking water droplets to the floor. "We walked right into a downpour. How's everything here?" He sounded like he was talking about base security, but Weir knew he was talking about the girl; Cailean as Carson had called her.

She hesitated. Behind Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon were also shaking the water off of their clothes.

"Elizabeth?" Sheppard asked drawing her attention back to him. "Is everything _alright_?" His tone was more forceful.

Weir faced him and breathed in. This was going to be harder then she thought.

o0o

Sheppard stormed through the hallway, speeding up his pace even more when he saw Beckett along with the SG-4 Marines.

"Beckett!" He called.

Beckett looked over at Sheppard and said something to the Marines before turning to face Sheppard.

"How'd this happen?" Sheppard asked once he was in within speaking distance. "I thought you were watching her! And what's this Elizabeth tells me about the Ancient gene?"

"Calm down, Colonel." Beckett said holding out a hand. "It wasn't anyone's fault. Cailean just slipped away on us."

"Calm down? Just tell me what happened!" Sheppard said raising his voice slightly. Then he realized what Beckett had said. "What did you call her?" he asked.

"Cailean." Beckett said. "We couldn't very well call her the girl or the child for the rest of her stay. So I named her Cailean. It means….."

"Yeah, yeah. It's nice." Sheppard said hurriedly. "I don't care what the name means, Doc! Just tell me what happened!"

Carson gave him the quick version of what happened.

Sheppard ran a hand through his hair again. The military side of him realized what could potently happen with a child that had the Ancient gene. So far, she had been good about not touching stuff, but….

The softer side of him knew that she had probably run away because she was scared of the Marine. Or she sensed that something wasn't right. Children had that ability, right?

"_Colonel Sheppard, Weir." _His earpiece crackled.

Sheppard touched it. "Go ahead." He said.

"We're trying to use the sensors to find her." Weir said, turning to Rodney who was hovering beside her, tablet in his arms. "But so far no luck. Rodney will keep trying."

"_Thanks." _Sheppard's voice sounded resigned through the radio.

"_We'll contact you if we find anything. Weir out." _

Sheppard dropped his hand from his radio. "Come on, Doc. Let's start with the control tower."

o0o

Major Lorne and his team of Marines and Air-Force personnel were combing the hallways surrounding the control tower. So far no luck.

"Let's try the jumper bay." Lorne suggested after another room was checked.

"You think she'll try and fly away on us?" A Marine joked.

Lorne shot him a glare.

"What are you thinking, sir?" A young Lt from the Air-Force asked respectfully.

"I have a hunch." Lorne said simply. "Come on."

In reality, he had more then a hunch. The Jumper bay was his private thinking spot; when he needed to get away from everything. There was calmness there; an alive feeling that must have something to do with the Ancient technology in the hanger.

If the child had the same gene, maybe she would feel compelled to go there like he did sometimes.

_It's worth a shot. _Lorne thought as they walked towards the hanger.

o0o

"Spread out and search all the jumpers on the lower level." Lorne ordered once his team had entered the hanger bay. "Teams of two." He nodded to the Sergeant behind him and they moved towards the first jumper.

Lorne walked up the ramp, shining his flashlight into the corners. The Sergeant walked behind him. The sound of scuffling came from underneath the control panel and Lorne shone his light in that direction.

Cailean sat on the floor underneath the control panel' she was so small that she almost fit into the space. She scooted further under as Lorne's light shone on her.

"There you are! Come on out." Lorne motioned with his hand as he walked closer.

Cailean continued scooting back until her head hit the wall. She looked scared.

Lorne sat down on the floor so he was closer to her level and beckoned again. "Come on now. The Colonel's been looking all over for you."

She hesitated again, glancing up at the Sergeant.

Lorne looked up. "I'll be fine here, thanks."

The Sergeant nodded and then left the Jumper.

Lorne held out his hand and this time Cailean came out without hesitation. She ignored his hand and crawled into Lorne's lap instead, resting her head against his shoulder.

Lorne froze at the unexpected gesture. None of the kids had ever done anything like this. Almost of its own accord, his arm wrapped around her little body. Cailean let out a content sigh and snuggled even closer to him, hand latching onto his collar. A few minutes later, her breathing evened out; she was fast asleep.

Lorne carefully slide his other arm under her knees and then stood; the girl in his arms still fast asleep.

"Let's go give you back to the Colonel." He muttered softly into her hair and then walked out of the Jumper.

The Sergeant raised an eyebrow and the other scientist stared as Lorne walked down the ramp. He ignored the looks and spoke softly to the Sergeant.

"Radio Colonel Sheppard. Tell him I'm bringing her to the control tower."

o0o

Sheppard and Weir met Lorne at the bottom of the stairs to the control room. In his 2IC's arms was Cailean. She was sound asleep with her head pillowed on his shoulder, one little hand curled around his collar.

"We found her in one of the Jumpers." Lorne spoke softly as not to wake her. He looked down at Cailean in his arms. "She won't let go."

Weir smiled. Cailean looked so cute in Lorne's arms.

"Since she seems to like you. Consider yourself promoted to babysitting duty, Major." Sheppard said trying to control a smile.

Lorne looked shocked. "Sir, I can't…" He took a breath and started again. "I'm a soldier, not a babysitter, Colonel."

Sheppard grinned. "I was only kidding, Lorne." He stepped forward and took Cailean from Lorne's arms. She shifted in her sleep and settled her head on Sheppard's shoulder.

Lorne looked a little disappointed to have the girl leave his arms.

"If you don't need me…." Sheppard asked looking at Weir.

Elizabeth shook her head with a small smile on her lips. "Good night, Colonel."

Lorne nodded. "Colonel."

Sheppard nodded back to Lorne and then turned to Weir. "Good night, Elizabeth. Come on, you little monkey." He muttered under his breath to Cailean. "Let's get you to bed."

o0o

The doors to his quarters hissed open and Sheppard walked in, leaving the lights off as not to wake his sleeping charge. The cot that someone had found rested up against the wall, horizontal to Sheppard's bed.

He gently laid Cailean on the cot and covered her with a blanket. She curled on her side, one hand grabbing the blanket and pulling it up to her chin. Sheppard watched her sleep for a moment and then walked over to his desk.

He booted up his computer and opened up a new file. He needed to finish the mission report for Elizabeth before the morning. He usually would have done it before supper, but with Cailean missing, there had been no time. There had also been no time to grab dinner, but for some reason Sheppard wasn't hungry.

He looked over at Cailean and realized how much he had grown to like her in the short time she had been here. He didn't know what he would do if anything happened to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The steady drumming of the ball and the squeaking of shoes on the gym floor were like music to Lorne's ears. He could almost believe that they were back on Earth, until he looked out the window and saw the sea. Atlantis was beautiful, but sometimes he longed for home.

Turning his mind back to the game, Lorne crouched into his ready stance; eyes locked on the marine in front of him. The marine feinted, made a bob to the right; then swung around to the left. Lorne stayed with him, mirroring his every move.

The marine passed the ball forward and Lorne spun around. The marine started to shoot the ball. Lorne jumped, hands held high to block the shot. Another marine jumped as well, hoping to block Lorne and crashed right into him, bumping his hip. The force of the blow knocked Lorne to the floor and he landed on his butt. The game stopped.

"Sorry, sir." The marine said. "Didn't see you there."

The way that he said it, Lorne knew that he had done it on purpose. The marine held out his hand and Lorne took it, the marine helping him to his feet. "Just watch where you're going next time." Lorne said in a friendly way.

"Half-time." Fachetti quickly called out from the sidelines. He was the referee today, due to a sprained ankle that he had received a few days ago on a mission off-world.

The court quickly emptied, Marines and Air-Force personal alike going for their water bottles. Lorne grabbed his and drank half of it in one gulp. He looked around at the gym and grinned as he saw Cailean peeking around the door frame into the gym. He winked at her and she smiled back at him, stepping further into the room.

Fachetti glanced towards the door and hobbled closer to Lorne on his crutches that Dr. Beckett had insisted he use. "Cute kid."

"Yeah." Lorne agreed. "If only she could tell us what happened to her family."

"Seems like she's getting along alright." Fachetti commented. "Maybe she'll just have to stay here."

"Maybe; but for how long?" Lorne asked. "It's not good for her to be without parents."

"I don't know about that." Fachetti said with a sly grin. "I think you make a pretty good dad."

Lorne swiped at him with the towel around his neck.

"Hey!" Fachetti protested moving out of reach. "Watch the ankle, sir!" He grinned as he hobbled away.

Lorne watched him go and then glanced back to Cailean. By now, she was fully inside the room and in the corner with the spare basketballs. Someone had sent a whole crate full from the SGC a while back and now they had more then they needed. Not that they minded. A frown marred her pretty face and Lorne wondered if she ever seen a ball before.

One of his men walked past Lorne and stumbled. Lorne caught his arm. "Baker, you alright?"

Lt. James Baker nodded, though his face told another story. Baker was grey, and his face had sweat on it, more then from his ten minute stint on the court should have produced. "I'm feeling a bit tired, sir. I think I'm done."

"You sure?" Lorne asked. "I think you better go to the Infirmary and have Dr. Beckett take a look at you."

"I'll be fine with some rest, sir." Baker protested.

Lorne hesitated, but let go of Baker's arm. "Alright. I let the Colonel know. You have the morning off."

"Thank you, sir." Baker said. He took a couple steps towards the door and then collapsed onto the floor.

"Baker!" Lorne ran over to the fallen man. Others joined him; even some of the marines came over.

"Someone call Beckett!" Lorne shouted feeling for the unconscious pilot's pulse. He heard someone talking on their radio and then Fachetti dropped to his knees beside him, mindful of his ankle. Fachetti was the field medic for SG-7 and he quickly looked Baker over.

"Baker, can you hear me?" Fachetti asked tapping the unconscious man's cheek. No response. They all looked up as an alarm sounded and then the door to the gym slammed closed.

o0o

Sheppard and McKay had been bantering back and forth about something that had been important an hour ago, but now neither of them could remember what it was, when Carson came running into the control tower, his white lab coat trailing behind him.

"Have you seen her?" He asked breathlessly.

"Again?" Sheppard asked turning towards the flustered doctor. He had a pretty good idea who Carson was talking about. "Cailean?"

Shamefaced, Carson nodded. "I just turned my back for a moment!"

Sheppard groaned. They had all agreed that the people that Cailean felt comfortable with would take turns watching her and today it had been Carson's turn. Cailean had escaped from other people as well. It was getting to be a regular occurrence around Atlantis, almost like a game: search for Cailean.

"Come on." Sheppard gestured to Beckett. "We better start…..." He was interrupted by an alarm. Sheppard and Beckett both looked over to McKay. The display behind him, the one showing the entire map of Atlantis, one of the doors was blinking red.

"What is it?" Sheppard asked walking back to look at the screen.

"The room just went into lock-down. Quarantine procedure." McKay explained touching the red highlighted door. The alarm continued to sound as he spoke.

"Look! There goes another one." Carson pointed out. Another red door had appeared on the screen and as they watched, two more doors turned red.

"This shouldn't be happening." McKay muttered to himself. "I mean, I just tweaked the protocols myself. Hang on a second." McKay walked over to his computer and fiddled with it for a moment. Then he looked up at Sheppard concern written on his face. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" Sheppard asked walking closer to study the computer screen.

"We have a virus." McKay stated grimly.

"What? How'd it get in?" Sheppard asked sharply. His radio crackled and he touched his ear, quickly and a little annoyed at the interruption. "Sheppard."

"_Colonel Sheppard, Lt. Hendricks; we have a man down in the gym and the doors just closed on us. Any chance on letting us out of here?"_

"McKay?" Sheppard asked looking at the physicist.

"I can't do anything!" McKay protested. "I have to rewrite then entire program and then maybe it'll let me open the doors."

"I'll take that as a no then." Sheppard said. He touched his radio again. "Hendricks, the room you're in just went into quarantine lock-down. We're working on the problem right now. I'll send some medical personnel to you. We'll get you out of there as soon as we can. Just sit tight."

"_Thanks, Colonel." _Hendricks sounded relived.

"Sheppard out." Sheppard dropped his hand and turned to McKay and Beckett. Concern was evident on his face. He now had two very big problems to deal with. "McKay, work on getting the doors open." He ordered and then turned to Beckett. "Carson, why don't you get as close as you can and see if you can do anything to help?"

"Right." Beckett said and then hurried away.

Sheppard turned back to watch McKay work and sighed. Why did these things always happen when he was in charge of Atlantis? He touched his radio. "Sheppard to Barnes. I need you to look for Cailean."

o0o

Hendricks clicked off the radio and stood by Lorne, waiting until his CO acknowledged him. Lorne stood by Baker's side, letting Fachetti care for the man. "Sit-rep." He said.

"Sir. Colonel Sheppard, says this room is in quarantine lock-down. They are working on the problem. Medical personnel are on the way. He says sit tight and we'll be out of here soon."

"Good." Lorne said. He glanced down at Baker and hoped that soon was soon enough. Quarantine might because of an contagion and he had a sneaking suspicion that Baker might be the one causing it.

"Quarantine?" A Marine asked. "Does that mean that there's some kind of virus in here?"

That started the murmurs and it quickly grew into worried conversation that filled the entire room.

"Hold it!" Lorne shouted above the noise. "Now everyone just calm down. The Colonel's working on it and I'm sure that we'll get more information soon. In the meantime, we just need to be calm and keep our heads."

"Who made you in charge?" One of the Marines asked sharply.

Lorne turned to the marine and noticed as he did that the Air-Force personal and the marines had separated into two groups. This was not good.

"Colonel Sheppard did." Hendricks replied. "_Major _Lorne is the Colonel's second in command. So just shut up."

"You want to come over here and repeat that?" The marine challenged.

The friendly tension during the game of basketball which had risen when the doors had closed came to a head. Hendricks, one to never let a slight pass, rose to the bait and launched himself at the marine. Lorne controlled his impulse to grab for the man. Several other air-force personal grabbed Hendricks and held him back. Marines did the same for their buddy.

"Cool down, Faulks." One of the older marines ordered. He walked towards Lorne and stooped right in front of him.

"Gunnery Sergeant Gerald Brooks, sir." He said respectfully. "Faulks doesn't speak for all of us. I do."

"Good to know, Gunny." Lorne said.

Brooks nodded and stepped back into the knot of Marines. He grabbed Faulks by the shoulder of his shirt and hustled him into a corner. Lorne didn't want to hear what the big Marine was saying to him.

He bent down beside Fachetti. "What do you think about this quarantine?" He asked in a low tone.

"Best guess? It's whatever Baker has." Fachetti said looking up from the unconscious Lt. "I'll have to talk with Dr. Beckett to make a more precise diagnosis."

"Ok, you do that." Lorne said. They both looked up as a shout came from the Marines. "Hey, it's a kid!"

The soldiers parted as Cailean ran through them and straight for Lorne. Lorne felt little arms smack his thighs and he almost fell over with the force that Cailean launched herself at him.

"Whoa!" He said placing a hand on her little shoulder. "It's ok, Cailean."

In the excitement he had forgotten that she was even in the gym. He better radio Sheppard and let him know where Cailean was. The colonel wasn't going to be too happy about it.

o0o

Three hours later and three more people had come down with whatever virus was in the air. Beckett had been trying to find the cause of it, but so far he was having no luck. Fachetti had tried to help Beckett, but in the end had to bow to the doctor's experience. Fachetti was only a field medic with a passing knowledge in viruses.

The latest casualties were Gunny Brooks and Hendricks. Both of them had just gotten tired, shivering from a fever and then passed out on the floor. Fachetti had directed two of the marines to move the victims into a corner of the room where they had made pallets out of mats they had found lying around.

To make matters even worse, the virus seemed to be spreading. Fachetti had been the next to go. One minute he had been kneeling beside Brooks and then the next passed out of the floor.

Lorne had reached him first and after looking him over, declared that anyone who had come in contact with Fachetti, Brooks or Hendricks in the last couple hours was now in quarantine. Except for him no one else hadn't touched the sick men.

He tried to make Cailean go with one of the female marines, but she was having none of it. Finally, Lorne had given in. It was probably for the best anyways since she had been in contact with him.

The remaining Marines and Air-Force personal had retreated to the far side of the gym, hopefully out of reach, but Lorne knew it was only a matter of time before they came down with it as well. At least the rest of Atlantis would be safe, thanks to the quarantine protocols.

Lorne looked over at Cailean from where he sat cross-legged on the floor beside Baker. She was kneeling beside Fachetti, who had taken a liking to the young orphan girl. Cailean looked worried, but she had been quiet as if she had sensed that something was wrong.

He turned to check on Baker and found that the Lt wasn't breathing anymore. "Baker?" Lorne asked, knowing that it was useless. Baker was dead. With a lump in his throat, Lorne grabbed a towel from the bench and laid it over the young man's face.

"Sir?" A female airman asked noticing his actions.

"He's dead." Lorne managed to say.

The airman's face fell and tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. They now knew what the virus did in the end; it killed. Lorne settled back into his place on the floor and pulled himself together.

After a moment, the radio beside him crackled and looking at his watch, Lorne found that it was time for the hourly update from the Colonel and Dr. Beckett. He sighed and picked up the radio. There was no good news to report. He could only hope that Sheppard had some. Lorne pressed the talk button.

o0o

Over the last three hours, Sheppard had been in a meeting with the other heads of Atlantis, trying to find their best options. McKay had continued to work at the computer with one quick restroom break and more cups of coffee then Sheppard had wanted to count. It was already late, and he knew that it was going to get even later if they didn't find a solution to the problem fast.

Putting his head into his hands as he listened to the science heads yell at each other, Sheppard decided that he had finally had enough. "Enough." He said loudly, but firmly.

Everyone turned to look at him and Sheppard raised his head. "Enough." He said again. "Bickering is not going to help our people, so for pity's sake, stop. Stevens, you still here?"

"Yes, sir." The Air-Force captain looked as tired as Sheppard felt. "Though I think my ears might have walked off."

Sheppard grinned through his fatigue. He liked people with a sense of humour. That was why Stevens was his third in command. Lorne liked the man too even through the brass disagreed. Stevens wasn't going to be the poster child for the Air-Force anytime soon, but he was a good man and Sheppard respected him.

"What's your take on this?" He asked.

Stevens leaned forward in his chair, looking more alert. "I would say C-4, sir. But as I gather that would only make the situation worse. It is the best option for getting our people the medical attention they need, but it's too dangerous for the rest of the city."

Sheppard nodded. He had already come to the same conclusion.

"The vents could be a good option, but then again that would be a breach of quarantine." Stevens continued. "There isn't a whole lot of options left, Colonel."

They all looked up as McKay walked into the conference room, laptop in hand. "I can't do it." He announced to the group and then stopped, considering what he had just said.

"Excuse me?" Sheppard asked not sure he heard right.

"I mean I can do it." McKay corrected himself. "I meant that I can't do it in a way that is safe for everyone else. I can open the doors, but that means that the virus will be able to travel through the rest of the city."

"And without knowing what caused it, we can't make a cure or even guarantee that there is one." Beckett's relief doctor said. Carson was with his medical team by the quarantine area and Nick had taken his place at the meeting.

"So we're just going to let our people die?" Someone asked.

Sheppard scrubbed at his face.

"I don't think we have a choice." McKay said quietly. "Unless we can come up with some miracle cure in just three minutes."

Sheppard stared at the tabletop for a moment and then spoke. "Thanks for your time everyone. You're dismissed."

The people at the tables started to stand and gather their things.

"Not you, Stevens." Sheppard said calling the captain back. "I want you here."

Sheppard reached for this radio as soon the room was empty and pressed the talk button. He didn't want to have to say this in front of the others.

o0o

Lorne pressed the talk button. "Lorne." He answered.

"_It's Sheppard."_ The colonel sounded tired and his tone didn't bode well. _"We're not going to be able to get you out of there, Lorne. I'm sorry." _

Lorne sat in silence for a moment and then pressed the button again. "Baker's dead."

Silence on the other end. _"I'm sorry. He was a good man." _

"The best, sir." Lorne automatically corrected Sheppard. "If the pattern is correct a marine gunny is next, then Hendricks and Fachetti. And me." The last part he added in a lower tone. "We also have five more people who have come down with a fever."

The radio hissed in his hand. _"I don't know what to say." _Sheppard admitted. _"Keep talking to me." _

"Will do." Lorne forced a cheerful tone. "Lorne out." He laid the radio back on the floor beside him and automatically looked for Cailean. She was still kneeling beside Fachetti.

Lorne got to his feet and walked over to her. "Cailean, come on. Let him sleep." He told the girl moving to gently take her away from the Lt.

Cailean moved away from him. "Helping." She insisted.

"I know you want to help, but the best things you can do for him is to let him sleep." Lorne told her.

"Helping." Cailean said again. Lorne looked down at where her hand rested against Fachetti's arm and blinked. Her hand had a yellow glow around it. "What the…" He muttered.

As he watched the glow became bigger, expanding to cover Fachetti's chest. Then as quickly as it had started, it stopped and Cailean removed her hand. A few seconds later, Fachetti's eyes opened and groaned. "Sir?" He asked hoarsely.

"I'm here." Lorne told the Lt kneeling down beside him. "How are you feeling?"

Cailean stood beside him and walked over to Brooks.

"Like I got hit by a Marine." Fachetti joked. "What happened?" He frowned. "My ankle doesn't hurt, sir."

Lorn didn't reply. He turned to see Cailean kneeling beside Brooks and giving him the same treatment at Fachetti. He turned as the door to the gym opened and Dr. Beckett with his medical team walked in.

"What's going on?" Beckett asked looking around at the people. "The doors just opened."

"It was Cailean." Lorne said. There was no other explanation for it.

Beckett looked for Cailean and saw her stand from beside Brooks. Next to him, the big marine sergeant was just starting to sit up. Beckett stared in shock. Lorne knelt down in front of Cailean so that their faces were level. She looked tired.

Lorne remembered how his bruise had vanished when she had touched his arm and knew. He knew what had happened. "You're an Ancient, aren't you?" He asked.

Cailean just smiled and touched Lorne's cheek gently, as if saying good-bye. "No. But I know of these Ancients that you speak. Long ago, my people were allies with the ones you call Ancients. We learned from one another."

Her voice was musical and light; like water tinkling. She sounded older as well, not like the six year old child that she appeared to be.

Lorne felt the tiredness leave him and knew that she had healed him too. He also knew that she was leaving. "Wait!" He called as Cailean turned towards Beckett. He climbed to his feet. "Why did you come here? To save us?"

Cailean shook her head. "No, it was a test for you; a test that all of you passed. You are clearly suited to live in the city of the Ancients. If you take in a child, then you truly have the kindness of the Ancients."

Beckett stared in shock, not just at hearing her speak, but at the omission that their little monkey was something just as old as the Ancients. She looked to Beckett, who bent to her level. She breathed in, her skin taking on a white glow. "Take me to the control tower?" She asked.

o0o

"What happened, Rodney?" Sheppard asked impatiently as the other man typed as fast as he could on the keyboard in front of him.

"I don't know!" McKay said distractedly. "It was just there one moment and gone the next. As far as I can tell there never was a virus in Atlantis. This doesn't make any sense."

Sheppard turned away from the screen and towards the doors as Carson walked in, Cailean's hand clasped in his. She looked tired. So did Beckett.

"There you are!" He exclaimed. "We've been looking all over for you, monkey."

"Colonel."

Sheppard looked at Beckett. Something was off. "What's wrong? What happened in the gym? Rodney can't seen to figure it out. Did you find a cure?"

Beckett shook his head at the rapid fire questions. "No. Cailean has... Well she is..."

"Leaving." She finished for him.

Sheppard bent down to her level and looked her in the eye.

"She's an Ancient." Beckett explained. "Or as close to one as I can figure. They used to be allies. She's the one who cured the virus. Everyone in that gym is fine. No trace of any pathogen. I'm having my staff double check just to be sure, but I'm sure we're out of the woods now."

Cailean touched Sheppard's cheek, just like moments before. "I'm leaving." She said again. "Tired."

"I think she's used up all her energy healing everyone." Beckett said quietly. "She's fading, Colonel. She's not going to last long."

Sheppard looked up at Beckett. "Is there anything you can do?"

Beckett shrugged. "I might be able to slow down the rate of decay, but I have no way of knowing how this is happening to her. We don't ever understand how the Ancients physiology works yet."

He looked back at Cailean. "Why me?" He asked. "Why?"

"Because you are kind." Cailean replied softly. "People trust you to lead them. You are worthy." She smiled. "Good-bye." She sounded sad to be leaving them.

She reached out and took his head in her tiny hands. She kissed his forehead and then stepped back. With one last look at him, the child was bathed in a white light that engulfed her body until only her face remained. She smiled once last time and then she was gone, disappeared, their little angel in disguise.

Weeks later, the Atlantis expedition would uncover an ancient lab hidden behind a panel in the room they had designated as the gym. One of the experiment containers had failed due to a lack of power and an ancient strain of what Beckett equated to the flu had escaped. No one could have seen it coming.

-Fini-


End file.
